House speaker Paul Ryan, who is openly critical of the Trump ticket, also added his voice to those criticising the comments, adding fuel to the rumours party members were seeking to get Trump off the ballot.

In recent days Trump has also refused to endorse McCain or Ryan in their primary campaigns – something almost unheard of for a presidential candidate, further underlining fractions within the party.

There have also been claims that members of the Republican Party are set to stage an intervention for the candidate before he ruins the election for the GOP, although party members have denied this.